Sunday, May 18, 2008

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity


The Blessed Trinity

How often have we made the sign of the cross, invoking without really adverting to it, the name of the triune God? In its original meaning the sign of the Cross was, each time it was made, a renewal of our baptism, a repetition of the words by which we became Christians, and the assimilation into our personal life what was given us in baptism without our cooperation or reflection. Water was poured over us and at the same time, the words were spoken: "I baptize you in the name of the Father , and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The Church makes us Christians by calling on the name of the the Trinitarian God. From her beginning, she has expressed in this way what she regards as the truly definitive mark of our Christianity: faith in the triune God. We find that disappointing. It seems so remote from our life. It seems so useless and so hard to understand. If there must be short formulas for expressing the tenets of our faith, then they should at least be attractive, exciting, something whose importance for men and for our live is immediately apparent. Yet, in the last analysis, this is what we are saying here: Christianity is not primarily concerned with the Church or with men, but with God. Its proper orientation is not to our hope, our fears, or our wishes, but to God, to his majesty and his power: The first article of Christian faith, the basic orientation of Christian conversion, is that God exists. We must, therefore, learn again to understand from God's perspective what being a Christian really means--that is, believing that he is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If he is that in himself he must be I and You and so he must be one God in three Persons
Pope Benedict XVI
from Magnificat Magazine, May, 2008


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Enough said...

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Thanks be to God!


5 comments:

  1. I belong to 'Holy Trinity' church in my town and we have has some great services today. Blessings!

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  2. Cathy,

    Thank you for sharing this. Isn't the Magnificat wonderful? Not only can you keep up with daily Scripture readings; there are wonderful reflections and great quotes from the Saints.

    God Bless,

    Kathy

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  3. Yes, indeed, it is Kathleen...I do enjoy my time with my Magnificat.

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  4. I don't know if I have shared this before, but from the age of 6 I have only attended Catholic schools and universities and it has been impressed upon us students that one of the greatest mysteries of all is the mystery of the Holy Trinity. To me making the sign of the cross is a very important expression of my faith.

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Your insightful comments are appreciated and I want all to feel comfortable and welcome.